Choosing the Right Breastpump

When choosing a breastpump the best question to ask yourself is not which pump is the best pump, but which pump is the best breastpump for me?

Some of the variables to consider are:

1. How is your milk supply? 

2. Are you going to be going back to work or are you staying at home?
 
3. Are you mostly breastfeeding or mostly pumping?

4. Are you pumping to maintain your supply? 

5. Do you have a baby in the NICU?

6. How is your baby's weight?

7. Are you going to be traveling with your pump?
 

The other questions to ask yourself if you are returning to work are:

1. How heavy is the pump?
    Breastpumps can get heavy if you have far to walk. You may want to 
    consider a more lightweight pump if you have a long way to go to get
    into your workplace. Some moms consider keeping their pump at work
    if their pump is too heavy and cumbersome to carry back and forth. If you 
    are you going to be traveling with your pump this is also a consideration.
    Some moms who travel will rent a pump in the destination city so they  
    have less luggage to deal with. 

2. How loud is the pump?

    This is a question I think many working moms don't consider and are
    quite surprised when they turn it on. If you do a lot of conference calls, 
    or need a quiet pump, consider a rental pump.
     

Lastly, many moms want to know the difference between the rental pumps  and the pumps that are for sale.

The rental pumps have a heavy duty motor and in general are quieter, help moms to produce more milk and produce it in less time. We especially see milk productions increase over the course of time. If you are pumping for multples, pumping to maintain a full supply or trying to increase your supply you might want to rent vs buy. 

If time is of the essence, a quiet pump is of the essence, you may again want to consider a rental pump.

Rental pumps are a closed system and as long as you are using new parts, they are FDA approved for multi-user use. 

Most of the personal use pumps on the market are not approved for multi-user use. These pumps are not meant to be shared and one risks the possiblity of contamination when borrowing someone elses' s pump.

Choosing a breastpump can be a perplexing decision. It is actually very specific to each woman's situation  There is no way ahead of time to know what a woman's milk supply is going to be and how they are going to respond to a certain pump. If you have a pump and you are not getting good results, call a Lactation Consultant that is familiar with breastpumps and often she can figure out if it your pump or your supply. We here at New Mother New Baby are always available to answer questions or troubleshoot your situation. Give us a call or email our Lactation Consultants at info@newmothernewbaby.com